DarkScape Wiki
Register
Advertisement
{{#NewWindowLink:2007:Melee|Old School RuneScape icon}}
Grimy marrentill detail This article or section requires a cleanup.
It does not meet the DarkScape Wiki's quality standards; you can edit this page to improve it.
Melee icon

Melee is one of the three combat styles in RuneScape. It involves using swords, daggers, and other weapons to damage opponents, as well as wearing heavy armour made from various metals. Players who specialize in this type of combat are known as warriors.

The Combat Triangle dictates that Warriors are strong against Rangers but weak against Mages.

Melee's inability to attack from a distance means that a player may have a hard time fighting a Ranger or Mage, as they can make use of safespots. However, Melee has a high resistance to Ranged, giving warriors a defensive advantage over rangers.

Attack types[]

Melee combat has three attack types: Crush, Stab, and Slash.

Melee attack[]

To the right of the Inventory button is the Equipment menu. From here, players can view their combat stats. Melee weapons increase in accuracy as the tier increases; the tier defined by the minimum Attack level required to wield the weapon. The general trend is that Melee weapons of the same tier have the same accuracy value. Most melee armour does not hinder the accuracy of Melee weapons, nor does it improve Melee accuracy directly as a direct increase to damage or accuracy statistics. Wearing power armour, certain jewellery, and other accessories will increase the player's style bonus for melee, which carries a damage bonus. However, wearing a piece of Ranged or Magic armour will reduce this style bonus, making melee combat less effective.

Players can also use Melee prayers such as Piety to improve Melee combat.

Melee skills[]

Attack determines the accuracy of a player's melee attacks and the types of weapons a player may wield. The higher the Attack level, the fewer misses a player will incur during melee combat. As Attack is a vital skill in melee combat, increasing one's Attack level will increase one's combat level associated with melee.

Strength is a melee combat skill which increases the amount of damage a player can inflict in melee combat by one point per level. Additionally, Strength may be required to wield certain weapons and armour, access some Agility shortcuts, and complete several quests.

Defence is one of the primary combat skills that grants players protection in all forms of combat. The higher the Defence level, the fewer successful blows an opponent will land against the player. Defence is thus a vital skill for enduring attacks for long periods of time. A player's Defence level also determines which equipment he or she is able to wear, as most pieces of armour or other equipment have a Defence level requirement. Defence increases your ability to block attacks. The higher the Defence level the less damage you will receive against monsters and players.

Melee weapons[]

Melee weapons fit into many general categories. No type is superior to others, as they vary in attack style and speed/damage. In general, weapons of the same tier have the same damage per second ratio, with two handed weapons dealing approximately 50% more per second.

Most melee weapons can be fit into categories by their attack speed and whether or not they are one-handed or two-handed. Many melee weapons also have an off-hand equivalent which can be equipped to allow the use of dual-wield abilities and will bring up the player's DPS to match that of two-handed weapons.

Fastest speed, one-handed[]

  • All weapons of this speed attack between 2.4 second intervals (4 ticks) and have the same damage value. They only effectively vary for monster weaknesses, or in the case of Dragon weaponry their special attacks - a notable exception being rune claws, which have a special attack.

Stabbing[]

  • The dagger is a stab-type melee weapons and are typically the cheapest of all melee weapons compared to weapons of the same metal or type. This is so because prior to the Evolution of Combat, daggers were the weakest and generally less accurate than other weapons of their type, even compared to those of the same speed such as the scimitar. However, unlike other weapons, they were able to be poisoned.

Slashing[]

  • Scimitars are slash-type melee weapons and are the most popular overall compared to other melee weapons of their speed. Prior to the Evolution of Combat they were among the most popular weapons, as they were close in power to longswords of their tier while being faster by one tick.
  • Claws are slash-type weapons. They are equivalent to scimitars except for having a critical hit bonus. When combined with their offhand equivalents the rune claw and the dragon claw are capable of performing a special attack.
  • Whips are generally higher-level weapons and are equivalent to scimitars. The abyssal whip is a very popular weapon for its affordability and effectiveness.

Crushing[]

  • The mace is a crush-type melee weapon and does not share the popularity of the dagger or the scimitar although they carry a Prayer bonus. Their unpopularity is attributed to the fact that they had an attack speed that was slow for its strength bonus usually equivalent to swords of their type, making them outclassed by other types of weapons.

Fast speed, one-handed[]

  • All weapons of this speed attack between 3 second intervals (5 ticks) and have the same damage value.

Stabbing[]

  • The sword is a stab-type melee weapon and are generally unpopular. Prior to the Evolution of Combat they were generally left unused due to being weaker than scimitars although they had the ability to use both slash and stab attacks rather effectively.
  • Rapiers are an uncommon weapon type that are equivalent to swords. They exist mostly in Dungeoneering.
  • Hastae are one-handed spears that are equivalent to swords except for the fact that they lack offhand equivalents. Prior to the Evolution of Combat they were able to be poisoned, and like their two-handed counterparts could also accept karambwan poison as well.

Slashing[]

  • The longsword is a slash-type melee weapon. They were relatively popular before the Evolution of Combat and were often compared to the scimitar in terms of effectiveness.

Hatchets/Pickaxes[]

Intended for Woodcutting/Mining. It is not recommended to use either Hatchets or Pickaxes as weapons, as their damage-per-second is halved relative to other weapons of their level.

Average speed, one-handed[]

  • All weapons of this speed attack between 3.6 second intervals (6 ticks) and have the same damage value.

Slashing[]

  • Battleaxes are slash-type melee weapons. Prior to the Evolution of Combat they were relatively unpopular due to their slow speed although they had a very high Strength bonus compared to other one-handed weapons of their type.

Crushing[]

  • Warhammers are crush-type melee weapons. They are rather uncommon and are rather very unpopular. Prior to the Evolution of Combat this was so due to the fact that they were slow weapons limited to crushing attacks yet were only as powerful as longswords.

Average speed, two-handed[]

  • All weapons of this speed attack between 3.6 second intervals (6 ticks), bar the use of a shield or off-hand weapon, and have the same damage value.

Stabbing[]

  • Spears are stab-type melee weapons. They were unpopular before the Evolution of Combat for having a low Strength bonus for being two-handed weapons with a lower-than-average attack speed. They were, however, able to be poisoned and could also accept karambwan poison.

Slashing[]

  • Two-handed swords are slash-type melee weapons. They were rather popular before the Evolution of Combat due to their high strength bonuses albeit at the cost of having a very slow weapon speed.

Melee armour[]

Warriors have their own sets of armour made out of various metals. Melee armour is resistant to ranged but weak against magic.

Bronze armour[]

Bronze armour is the weakest of all melee armours and worn only by the newest of players, requiring no levels whatsoever and costing very little.

Iron armour[]

Iron armour is slightly better than bronze, and requires level 10 Defence. It is made from iron bars.

Steel armour[]

Steel armour is slightly better than iron. Steel armour requires level 20 Defence to equip and may also be smithed from steel bars.

White armour[]

White armour does not offer great defensive bonuses, but does offer a prayer bonus. White armour, however, requires the completion of the quest Wanted! to equip. White armour may be bought from Sir Vyvin on the second floor of Falador Castle with sufficient White Knight rank, which is received from killing black knights. It requires 25 Defence to wear.

Black armour[]

Black armour has an evil and dangerous look, and provides the same defensive bonuses as White armour, but does not have the prayer bonus. Black armour, like white, cannot be smithed, only received as a drop or bought from several shops. It requires 25 Defence to wear.

Mithril armour[]

Mithril is a mid-level metal, requiring 30 defence to equip. Mithril armour offers decent bonuses for players who can equip it. It is generally not used by higher-leveled players.

Adamant armour[]

Adamant armour is the second highest smithable armour and green in colour. It is often used by player killers who do not want to risk losing their own armour due to its decent bonuses and low cost. It requires level 40 defence to equip.

Rune armour[]

Rune armour is the best armour for free-to-play and requires level 50 defence to wear. A smith wishing to make runite equipment needs at least level 85 Smithing. The rune platebody requires completion of Dragon Slayer to be worn and can only be bought from Oziach or the Grand Exchange .

Dragon armour[]

Dragon armour is one of the most sought-after armour sets and pieces of dragon equipment are often traded for millions of coins. Dragon cannot be smithed by players and is only for members. Dragon armour requires level 60 Defence to be worn.

Corrupt dragon armour[]

"Corrupt" versions of a few dragon weapons and armour exist, which means that they still require 60 Defence to use, but are available to all players. However, they degrade when used and disintegrate after 30 minutes of being equipped, making them very costly albeit desired by wealthy free players.

Yak-hide armour[]

Yak-hide armour is relatively weak, but valuable against Ice trolls, as the armour lowers the maximum hit of the males. Its poor bonuses do not make the armour worth using very often.

Rock-shell armour[]

Rock-shell armour is very similar to rune armour. It's not very popular due to the difficulty to obtain and the availability of better armour.

Bandos armour[]

Bandos armour is a very strong set of armour, providing some of the best defensive bonuses in the game. It provides a boost to the damage you deal and is thus known as power armour.

Barrows armour[]

Barrows armour is very strong and popular, and like white armour, provides a small prayer bonus. Barrows armour needs to be repaired every 15 hours of combat, for a price.

Granite armour[]

Granite armour is tough, resilient armour requiring not only a Defence level of 55 to wear, but also a Strength level of 55 due to its weight. The granite body and helm have slightly better bonuses than their rune counterparts.

Third-age warrior armour[]

Armour from the Third Age is incredibly rare and incredibly tough. However, Barrows and Bandos armours have better stats.

Ancient warrior's armour[]

Vesta's and Statius' equipment degrades over time and completely vanishes after one hour of combat. A corrupt version of the armour exists, which requires only 20 defence to wear, as opposed to 78, however, it disintegrates after only 15 minutes of being worn, not necessarily in combat.

Obsidian armour[]

Obsidian armour is a degradable armour that offers high defences in all combat styles when fighting against the TzHaar and TokHaar , however outside of the TzHaar and TokHaar activities the armour acts as a tier 60 set.

Torva armour[]

Torva armour is the second best armour you can repair in the game. On top of the very high defensive bonuses, Torva armour offers a boost to life points when worn, in a similar fashion to rocktails, only permanent, as long as the armour remains equipped. The armour degrades, but can be repaired, similarly to Barrows armour, although more expensive. Level 80 Defence, Life Points and Strength are required to equip the armour.

Tetsu armour[]

Tetsu armour comes in 2 forms, normal and superior, and both versions degrade in combat. The superior version is untradeable, yet has higher stats and lasts longer in combat. The normal version lasts 10 hours in combat while the superior lasts 12. Lastly, the superior version can be repaired while the tradeable one cannot and will degrade into nothing. 85 Defence and Constitution are required to wear it.

Before the armour can be made you will need to unlock the ability to make it. To do this, you will need to collect 4 scroll pieces for every piece of the armour you wish to make. A total of 12 scroll pieces is needed to be able to craft all 3 pieces of the armour.

The armour looks very similar to armour used by Samurai , and is thought to have been based on the armour of the warriors of old.

Malevolent armour[]

Malevolent armour is the strongest melee armour outside of Daemonheim. It requires level 90 Defence to wear. This armour cannot be repaired at any level of degradation, and will be destroyed after 60,000 hits.

Popularity of melee combat[]

Melee was more than twice as popular than magic and ranged combat combined, generating 59% of users votes in January 2007, but since the Evolution of Combat was released, magic, ranged and melee have more equal popularity. This is likely because each monster has gained their own weaknesses which can make melee ineffective against certain monsters. For example, using melee slashing attacks instead of ranged bolt attacks on Black demons will deal less damage per second due to reduced accuracy.

Shields[]

A shield is a protective item wielded in the off-hand slot. A shield adds substantial bonuses to armour and to life points when wielded, and unlocks the use of some Defence abilities.

Square shields[]

The square shield has adequate melee and range defence bonuses, and provides the same health bonuses as the kiteshield.

Spikeshields[]

Spikeshields degrade with use like Barrows equipment, and can be recharged. Like Barrows equipment, their bonuses will only decrease after the shield has completely degraded to 0%, but unlike Barrows equipment it does so after only 6 hours of solid combat.

Kiteshields[]

Kiteshields offer better defence than a square shield, although, like most heavier armour, it is awkward to use in combination with Magic and Ranged.

Berserker shields[]

Berserker shields degrade with use like Barrows equipment, and can be recharged. They can only be traded when completely uncharged. The Adamant berserker shield requires level 45 defence to wield. The Rune berserker shield requires level 55 defence to wield. Like Barrows equipment, their bonuses will only decrease after the shield has completely degraded to 0, but unlike Barrows equipment it does so after only 6 hours of solid combat.

Toktz-Ket-Xil[]

The Toktz-Ket-Xil requires at least 60 Defence to wield. It cannot be made using any skills.

Anti-dragon shield[]

The Anti-dragon shield does not provide much by way of armour, but it is indispensable when fighting dragons as it protects against most of their potentially devastating dragonfire.

Dragonfire shield[]

The Dragonfire Shield is a high-level piece of armour coming in magic, range, and melee styles. It provides protection not only from dragonfire, but also the breath of the Skeletal Wyvern.

Spirit shields[]

Spirit shields are a range of shields available to members after they have completed the quest Summer's End . The divine spirit shield has a special effect that reduces the amount of damage taken and directs some of it to your prayer energy instead. The elysian spirit shield simply nullifies the damage, although a smaller percentage than the divine spirit shield. As such, the divine spirit shield is one of the most expensive items available, costing several hundreds of millions. The Arcane spirit shield also has a special ability, it reduces damage taken by 30%, and drains your prayer for 10% of the damage you drain. The basic spirit shield requires level 40 Defence and level 55 Prayer to hold, the blessed one requires 70 Defence and level 65 Prayer, arcane and spectral spirit shield 75 Defence, 70 Prayer and 65 Magic, and divine and elysian require 75 Defence and 75 Prayer.

Temporary boosts[]

A temporary skill boost is anything caused by an item, Summoning familiar, or action that temporarily raises a player's level in one or more skills. It allows the player to do things above their current level.

Attack[]


Herblore[]

Image Boost Skill Level
increase
Level to make Notes
File:Attack potion (4).png File:Attack mix (2).png Attack potion (mix) (m) Attack 1 + 8% Herblore-icon 1 (4) Mix version heals 30 life points.
File:Combat potion (3).png File:Combat mix (2).png Combat potion (mix) (m) Attack and Strength 1 + 8% Herblore-icon 36 (40) Mix also heals 60 life points.
File:Super attack (3).png File:Super attack mix (2).png Super attack (mix) (m) Attack 2 + 12% Herblore-icon 45 (47) Mix version heals 60 life points.
File:Zamorak brew (3).png File:Zamorak mix (2).png Zamorak brew (mix) (m) Attack and Strength 1 + 8% Herblore-icon 78 (85) Decreases Defence by 1 + 8% and remaining life points by 35%.
File:Extreme attack (3).png Extreme attack (m) Attack 3 + 15% Herblore-icon 88 Non-tradeable.
File:Overload (3).png Overload (m) Attack, Strength, Defence, Ranged, and Magic 3 + 15% for 5 minutes Herblore-icon 96 Non-tradeable.

Note: The numbers in parentheses are only required for the mixes.

Other[]

Image Boost Skill Level
increase
Level to make Notes
File:Cup of tea.png Cup of tea (m) Attack 3 N/A

Heals 200-300 life points as well. Non-tradeable.

File:Spicy stew.png Red spicy stew (m) Attack , Strength, Defence, Ranged, Magic 5-5 to +5 Cooking-icon 25 The stew may boost or reduce levels by 1 to 5 points randomly. +5 boost are rare. Non-tradeable.
Cavefish Cavefish (m) Attack , Strength, Defence, Magic, or Ranged 2 2 Cooking-icon 88 Heals <a href="tel:200-1760">200-1760</a> life points.
Attack cape Attack cape (m) Attack 1 Attack-icon 99 Requires Skill mastery to equip. Non-tradeable.
File:Dominion marker 4.png Dominion Marker

Attack , Strength, Defence, Magic, Ranged

4-10 110 combat Levels depend on your marker.

Prayer[]

Image Boost Skill Level
increase
Level to use Notes
Clarity of Thought Clarity of Thought Attack 2% Prayer-icon 7 Standard prayer.
Improved Reflexes Improved Reflexes Attack 4% Prayer-icon 16 Standard prayer.
Incredible Reflexes Incredible Reflexes Attack 6% Prayer-icon 34 Standard Prayer.
Chivalry Chivalry (m) Attack, Strength, and Defence 7% Attack, 7% Defence, 7% Melee damage Prayer-icon 60 Requires completion of the Camelot training room.
Piety Piety (m) Attack, Strength, and Defence 8% Attack, 8% Defence, 8% Melee damage Prayer-icon 70 Requires completion of the Camelot training room.
File:Leech Attack.png Leech Attack (m) Attack 2% Attack, increasing to 8% over time; -6% enemy Attack, increasing to -12% over time Prayer-icon 74 Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten.
File:Turmoil.png Turmoil (m) Attack, Strength, and Defence 10% Attack, 10% Defence, 10% Melee damage; -9% enemy Attack, Defence, and Melee damage, increasing to -15% over time Prayer-icon 95 Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten.

Other[]

Image Boost Skill Level
increase
Level to obtain Notes
File:Ruby harvest.png Ruby Harvest (m) Attack 20% Hunter-icon 15 Boost affects the player it is used on.
File:Black mask.png Black mask (m) Attack and Strength 12.5% Melee accuracy and Melee damage Slayer-icon 58 Boost only applies when fighting monsters assigned by a Slayer Master.
File:Dragon slayer gloves.png Dragon Slayer Gloves (m) Attack 10% Slayer-icon 70 Boost only applies when fighting dragons assigned by a Slayer Master. Boost stacks with Black Mask


Strength[]


Potions[]

Image Boost Skill Level
increase
Level to make Notes
File:Strength potion (4).png File:Strength mix (2).png Strength potion (or mix (m)) Strength 1 + 8% Herblore-icon 12 (14) Mix version heals 30 life points.
File:Combat potion (4).png File:Combat mix (2).png Combat potion (m) (or mix (m)) Strength and Attack 1 + 8% Herblore-icon 36 (40) Mix also heals 60 life points.
File:Super strength (4).png File:Super strength mix (2).png Super strength (m) (or mix (m)) Strength 2 + 12% Herblore-icon 55 (59) Mix version heals 60 life points.
File:Zamorak brew (4).png File:Zamorak mix (2).png Zamorak brew (m) (or mix (m)) Strength and Attack 1 + 8% (Strength), 2 + 20% (Attack) Herblore-icon 78 (85) Decreases Defence and remaining life points by 2 + 10% (Mix reduces life points by 10% - (10 to 40)).
File:Extreme strength (3).png Extreme strength potion (m) Strength 3 + 15% Herblore-icon 89 Not tradeable.
File:Overload (3).png Overload (m) Strength, Attack, Defence, Ranged, and Magic Constant boost of 3 + 15% for 5 minutes Herblore-icon 96 Not tradeable.

Cooking[]

Image Boost Skill Level
increase
Level to make Notes
File:Wizard blizzard.png Wizard blizzard/Premade wiz blz'd (m) Strength 6 Cooking-icon 18 Lowers Attack by 4.
File:Short green guy.png Short green guy/Premade sgg (m) Strength 4 Cooking-icon 20 Lowers Attack by 3.
File:Asgarnian ale (m).png Asgarnian ale (m) Strength 2 Cooking-icon 24 Lowers Attack by 4.
File:Spicy stew.png Red spicy stew (m) Strength, Attack, Defence, Ranged, Magic 6-6 to 6 Cooking-icon 25 The stew may boost or reduce levels by 1 to 6 points randomly. +6 boost are extremely rare.
File:Drunk dragon.png Drunk dragon/Premade dr' dragon (m) Strength 7 Cooking-icon 32 Lowers Attack by 4.
File:Blurberry special.png Blurberry special/Premade blurb' sp. (m) Strength 7 Cooking-icon 37 Lowers Attack by 5.
File:Dragon bitter.png Dragon bitter (m) Strength 2 Cooking-icon 39 Lowers Attack by 1.
Cavefish Cavefish (m) Strength, Attack, Defence, Magic, or Ranged 2 2 Cooking-icon 88 Heals 200 life points.

Other[]

Image Boost Skill Level
increase
Level to obtain Notes
File:Beer.png Beer Strength 2 N/A Lowers Attack by 4.
File:Beer (tankard).png Tankard of beer (m) Strength 2 N/A Lowers Attack by 4.
File:Keg of beer.png Keg of beer (m) Strength 10 N/A Lowers Attack by 40.
File:Grog.png Grog (m) Strength 3 N/A Lowers Attack by 6.
File:Braindeath 'rum'.png Braindeath 'rum' Strength, Mining 3 N/A Also decreases Attack, Defence, Prayer, Magic, Agility and Herblore by 5%.
File:Volcanic str. scroll.png Volcanic strength scroll (m) Strength 9 Summoning-icon 73 Special attack of the obsidian golem.
Strength cape Strength cape (m) Strength 1 Strength-icon 99 Requires Skill mastery to equip.

Prayer[]

Image Boost Skill Level
increase
Level to use Notes
Burst of Strength Burst of Strength Strength 2% Melee damage Prayer-icon 4 Standard Prayer.
Superhuman Strength Superhuman Strength Strength 4% Melee damage Prayer-icon 13 Standard Prayer.
Ultimate Strength Ultimate Strength Strength 6% Melee damage Prayer-icon 31 Standard Prayer.
Chivalry Chivalry (m) Strength, Attack, and Defence 7% Attack, 7% Defence, 7% Melee damage Prayer-icon 60 Requires completion of the Camelot training room.
Piety Piety (m) Strength, Attack, and Defence 8% Attack, 8% Defence, 8% Melee damage Prayer-icon 70 Requires completion of the Camelot training room.
File:Leech Strength.png Leech Strength (m) Strength 2% Melee damage, increasing to 8% over time; -6% enemy Melee damage, increasing to -12% over time Prayer-icon 82 Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten.
File:Turmoil.png Turmoil (m) Strength, Attack, and Defence 10% Attack, 10% Defence, 10% Melee damage; -9% enemy Attack, Defence, and Melee damage, increasing to -15% over time Prayer-icon 95 Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten.

Other[]

Image Boost Skill Level
increase
Level to obtain (without trading) Notes
File:Black warlock.png Black Warlock (m) Strength 20% Hunter-icon 45 Boost affects the player it is used on.
File:Black mask.png Black mask (m) Strength; Attack 15% Slayer-icon 58 Boost only applies when fighting monsters assigned by a Slayer Master.
File:Dharok's armour set equipped.png Wretched Strength (Dharok's set effect) (m) Strength (Max - current life points) * 0.1% Strength-icon 70; Attack-icon 70; Defence-icon 70 Full set must be worn for special effect to take place.

Melee Capes of Accomplishment[]

See also[]

  • Free-to-play Melee training
  • Pay-to-play Melee training
  • Pure Melee training
  • Magical melee
  • Grand Exchange Market Watch/Melee armour
  • Grand Exchange Market Watch/Melee weapons
Wikipedia logo
Melee}}

References[]

nl:Melee no:Melee fi:Melee lt:Melee

Advertisement